The Fighting Seabees

If you went to a Seabee "A" school, you know all about this, it's nice to have in the collection.

The setting of this movie is an island in the Pacific in June 1942. Besides getting entertained by the blazing combat action and the fervid patriotic mood, the viewer gets an education on the Seabees. The term itself comes from a phonetization and dramatization of CB's, which stands for Construction Battalions.

Wedge Donovan (a young John Wayne) takes command of a US Navy group of engineers who are using bulldozers, cranes, etc., to build various installations for military use. At first, civilians are involved and, not understanding the realities of a combat environment, they suffer severe casualties during a Japanese attack.

Wedge Donovan trains and, in time, leads the newly-named Seabees in a subsequent counterattack against a large group of Japanese invaders. Now it is the Japanese who suffer heavy casualties. The Seabees trap the Japanese in a flaming ravine, and pour gunfire upon them. Wedge Donovan gets decorated for leadership in this military success.

John Wayne plays Wedge Donovan (a
character name he would use 19 yrs.,
later in 1963's Donovan's Reef), a
construction Engineering magnate who
ends up selling the US Navy on arming
civilian personnel in hot LZs! He does
get killed in here (like in 'The Cow-
boys' - **.5)but his movie was way bet-
ter! Enough referrences to'japs', 'mon-
kies', et, al and other racial epithe-
ts to turn off the 'politically stupid'
types. Well, that was the terms used at
the times. [to cross referrence, see J.
Garner's fine 'Grand Prix' movie to see
how attitudes changed by 1966!]

john wayne and susan hayward star in this great war movie about the seabees,the construction branch of the navy that was set up as world war II started. wayne is the leader of a construction gang sent to build airstrips and other things for the army and navy in the pacific as war starts out. not being soldiers they can't carry guns and must take cover when shooting starts(useing guns would get them shot as spies). well wayne doesn't like to hide so he pushes the navy to arm and train his men so they can build and fight when needed! this is of of his best early war movies and it even has a shocking twist at the end!! a must for wayne fans.

There is great chemistry between Susan Hayward and John Wayne! Even though he plays someone tough, you can feel the romance growing between John and Susan. Great piece of work!